‘Amazing Experience’: RJ Mitte Finally Took the Hot Air Balloon Ride He’d Wanted for Years — 8 Days Before His Death at 34
RJ Mitte, Breaking Bad’s Walter White Jr., died at 34. Fans are replaying his final hot air balloon ride with co-star Luis Moncada.
RJ Mitte and Luis Moncada at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
RJ Mitte spent years around hot air balloons without ever being allowed to ride one. On Oct. 4, eight days before his death, he finally went up.
The “Breaking Bad” actor joined former costar Luis Moncada at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. Moncada, who played Marco Salamanca on the AMC series, posted the clip to Instagram — and the same footage to his TikTok.
“Do NOT look down!!! 🎈” Moncada captioned the reel, adding, “RJ and I at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque New Mexico.” He thanked StrangeKind Ballooning for the ride and hospitality, calling it “Amazing Experience 🙏🏼,” Parade reported.
RJ and I at the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque New Mexico. Amazing Experience 🙏🏼
It was a group outing, too. Mitte, Moncada, New Mexico United and StrangeKind Ballooning shared a joint post captioned “Breaking Bad: Lift Off Edition 🎈,” writing that the two “Breaking Bad” stars “enjoyed their Fiesta experience” with “nothing but love with a side of New Mexican culture,” People reported.
Inside the Balloon
In the footage, Moncada turns the camera on his costar as the basket climbs.
“You OK, RJ?” he asks. Then, joking: “Let’s, let’s hold hands, bro.”
Someone off-camera brings up how high they are. Moncada tells everyone to look at the view.
“It’s really high and I’m not high, but I’m high,” he says.
At another point, Moncada tells Mitte, “Put your head here on my shoulder. It’s going to be okay,” Extra TV reported.
The Detail That Makes It Land
Mitte told the crew at StrangeKind Ballooning that he had helped launch balloons while living in Albuquerque during the “Breaking Bad” shoot. His contract at the time never let him fly in one.
“After years of helping balloons take off, he finally got his chance,” TMZ reported, citing the company’s statement.
The company said he stayed on the ground long after landing — greeting other passengers, posing for photos with fans, helping pack the balloon away. One crew member summed it up: “Wow, it was like we flew a family member.”
“Sharing his first flight is a memory we will always treasure,” the company wrote. StrangeKind said it had hoped to welcome him back for another flight.
Moncada Describes Their Last Days Together
Moncada spoke about the visit on TMZ Live on Oct. 13. He said the two had reunited days earlier at a charity golf tournament, then caught a comedy show with fellow “Breaking Bad” star Steven Quezada.
He said Mitte seemed tired and sad — “pulled in all kinds of directions” and conflicted about things he wouldn’t discuss. The balloon ride was his attempt to lift his friend’s mood.
The two had lunch afterward. The next morning Moncada collected Mitte from his hotel and drove him to the airport, where they sat talking in the car for roughly 45 minutes.
“We talked about everything, the situation, and I offered him to stay at my house,” Moncada said. He invited Mitte to stay with him and his son for a couple of days to reset. Mitte declined — he said he had to go home.
“I made him promise to call me if he needed to talk… and I never got a call,” Moncada said.
Mitte Died Oct. 12
Mitte died Monday, Oct. 12, in Brownsville, Texas, at 34. TMZ reported he died by suicide; his representatives confirmed his death to People.
A representative called him a “beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate.”
He was 15 when “Breaking Bad” premiered in January 2008. He had cerebral palsy, which the show wrote into Walter Jr., and he worked as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s.
His film “Talking to Strangers” premiered in July. He played Joshua, a rigid loner with cerebral palsy who forms an unlikely friendship.
StrangeKind closed its tribute by saying it hoped the flight gave him back some of the happiness he gave everyone around him.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988.
Hense Todd
Hense Todd covers the NFL Draft and college scouting for Chiefs Blitz. From Senior Bowl standouts to late-round sleepers, he tracks the prospects who could become the next Chiefs stars.
